Because of the earlier draw time Bob and I didn’t have time
for our usual Asda Breakfast, instead we sat in traffic at the “Man with two
Heads” traffic lights. We will be going via the back lanes next match.
A new Coffin Dodger was introduced – Mr. Paul Dicks – very
welcome – we always let the new comers win the first match! This put the
numbers today up to 29, not bad for November.
In to the draw bag and out comes peg 14. Happy with this
where I thought I could catch a few Skimmers. I set up two Jolly’s, one 4 x16
in 9 foot of water at 7 metres and a 4x14 for the LH margin. The margins on
this peg are limited to the top set because of the trees along the bank, but
they do provide cover which would help as the colour had fallen out.
The 7 metre line was fed with a golf ball of GB with a few
pinkies and the margin a cup of caster (I am trying to wean myself off of
paste). I started over the GB with single dead red and had a few small Skimmers
plus lots of indications from very very tiny Ronnie’s that couldn’t even pull
the float under. So it was in to the margin with a single caster and I had a
run of better Ronnie’s and a Perch before the swim died. The Carp had arrived
and I played one until I had enough letting the hook pull out trying to keep it
out of the roots of the RH tree. The writing was on the wall which I choose
unconsciously to ignore switching to being further frustrated by the tiny
Ronnie’s in the hope that the big Skimmers would move in – they didn’t.
So back in the margin with double caster and I land a 13lb
Mirror. So the score was one all which
didn’t last long. What happened over the last two hours drove me mad:
Carp 3: Foul hooked – hook pulled.
Carp 4: Could get the number four on quick enough and it
broke the line. These bloody disable platforms limit you to the length you can
fish in the margin because of the high side barriers – nothing a chain saw
couldn’t sort out.
Carp 4: I played it for a while but lost it because I had
not pulled the line tight down on the hook shank and the line pulled over the
spade – bad angling me thinks.
Carp 5: A big Common which I had played out only for it to
go under the platform (doesn’t happen usually on this venue). I managed to
thread the top set through the side arms of the platform then through the leg which
meant letting the top set go which worked, the fish was mine – alas not as the
manoeuvre had caught the line around the kinder pot. I was now playing the Carp
without elastic; I tried three times to untangle the line, but didn’t do the
obvious of just pulling the kinder pot off onto the elastic and therefore ended
up losing that lot.
Carp 6: Landed this one.
Carp 7: Foul Hooked with the hook pulling free.
Carp 8: Foul hooked with the hook length breaking on the
knot.
Carp 9: Foul Hooked with the hook pulling free.
Carp 10: Played it for a while before the hook broke – first
time for a while.
Carp11: Just before the whistle a small Mirror carp landed
safely.
It was EMOTIONAL.
Whilst I was playing the last Carp I heard “fish on” from
Martin “I left my car windows open in the car wash” Alexander. I watched him
net a fifteen pounder only for the head of his landing net to fall of. Luckily
enough the fish was still attached and with the aid of Mike Jones’s landing net
got it on to the scales which gave Martin a pick up overall by default of £3 –
not quite enough for a new net!!
My Silvers weighed 4lb 12oz and my three Carp 28lb 14oz for
a total of 33lb 10oz for 5th overall.
The match was won by new Dodger Paul Dicks (pictured right
with the Silvers winner) with 67lb 11oz from peg 28. Paul initially caught long
on the pole using worm over net worm in GB. Paul later switched to his RH
margin in to the bay and landed Carp to 19lb 14oz on corn over caster.
The Silvers was won by Chris Rolfe (pictured lower right with his
impressive catch of Skimmers) with 22lb from peg 16. Chris initially fed a few
balls of GB but found it more productive to kinder maggot and caster at 7
metres switching between caster and maggot hook bait.
Full Result:
- Paul Dicks 67-11-0 peg 28
- Paul Haines 57-02-0 peg 29
- Bill Ferris 43-12-0 peg 26
- Rich Coles 36-12-0 peg 15
- Mike Nicholls 33-10-0 peg 14
- Mike Jones 28-06-0 peg 7
- Chris Rolfe 22-0-0 peg 16
- Mike Jones 17-06-0 peg 7
- Rich Coles 11-08-0 peg 15
2 comments:
No mention of the delicate language or violent tackle abuse then Mike! I thought you were a refined gentleman, how wrong I was.
I'm glad you have now experienced
the frustration that many of us have had this season.
What's it going to be like next season when the *%£&"* things put on another 5lbs!
An off day for me, I will be putting more effort in to not let it happen again. We all have to recognise that the Carp will get bigger each year and it's not limited to Huntstrete. I have just purchased a very strong Sensas top three plus I have designed some floats which the prototypes are near completion.
I often hear match anglers say "The Carp are too big", they shouldn't be surprised that Carp grow especially with the amount of protein feed they get fed on commercial fisheries. There is nothing "Too Big", "Too many" our "Too small".
As always is the case as fisheries change we need to also adapt.
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